I was at the beach this summer with my dad’s side of the family who live in a small, close-knit rural town. They were talking about how even in their close community a man lost several teeth because they couldn’t find a doctor who was willing to come in on a Sunday. At that point I realized how Fairfax actually is a close community even if it isn’t small or rural, and that we not only have some of the best doctors in the world, but also some of the most caring.
About two months ago I was playing in a soccer tournament on a Saturday night and ended up holding one tooth in my hand, while using the other hand to stop the bleeding from my three other bent teeth and large rip in my lip. My dad rushed me to the emergency room. My lip was not looking good and they worried about me losing three permanent teeth, but one doctor, Dr. Duggan, worked on me for three hours and did an incredible job. He sewed me up so well that there was no need for surgery and not much scarring. He then spoke to my dentist, Dr. Johnson, who agreed to meet us at his office at 11:30 that Saturday night with an assistant. After he stabilized my teeth at midnight, he then called Dr. Zadeh, an oral surgeon that he knew, and scheduled an appointment for me on Sunday morning. Dr. Zadeh arrived with his sister-in-law (she is a medical assistant for another practice) because he could not find an assistant to come in on such short notice. Dr. Zadeh performed a procedure to splint my broken bridge and re-align my broken teeth. Finally, on Monday, I went to my orthodontist, Dr. Klima.
He knew that I would be self-conscious about my puffy elephant face so he told me to come in during his lunchtime. When I saw him he had already spoken to Dr. Johnson and Dr. Zadeh. He said that he would put my braces back on if I needed them without charge. Did I mention that I had just gotten my braces off on Friday, the day before this happened? As I look back now, I realize that I probably wouldn’t have a full set of teeth if it weren’t for these doctors. Fairfax County may not be considered a small town by others’ standards, but because of the caring network that took care of me, it feels like a small town to me.
Wade Erwin is a 15-year-old rising sophomore year at Woodson High.